About Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton is an IP litigator and registered patent agent who practises as a partner in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office. Patent cases are the core of the work, alongside complex trade secret and copyright disputes, and Crichton has taken numerous trials as lead counsel. The clients, both Canadian and international, work in technologies that range from mechanical and electrical engineering to computer hardware, software, manufacturing and communications.

Before law school at the University of Ottawa, where the LLB came cum laude, Crichton earned an electrical engineering degree at Carleton University. After the 2004 call to the Ontario bar, Crichton started that year as an associate at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP and made partner in 2012. Crichton later led Gowling WLG's Intellectual Property Litigation & Strategy Group across Canada.

Teaching and writing have run alongside the practice. At the University of Ottawa, Crichton was an adjunct professor, first in patent law and then in IP litigation, and Crichton's articles on intellectual property have appeared in IAM, Managing IP and the Financial Post. There's a Canadian chapter on patent litigation in Bloomberg BNA's treatise Global Patent Litigation: How and where to win, too. Managing IP shortlisted Crichton for Practitioner of the Year (Patent Disputes) at its 2025 Americas Awards.

Practice areas

Intellectual Property Civil Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Patent litigation

Dozens of patent cases and other complex IP disputes have passed through Crichton's hands, and Crichton brings substantial experience to cross-border IP litigation between Canada and the U.S. In Federal Court, that's included acting for Google in an infringement case over search engine bid management.

Trade secret and copyright disputes

Crichton acted for GroupBy in an Ontario trade secret and copyright case about e-commerce search technology, and for GE in a copyright claim over the designs of mechanical hydro gates. Another matter saw Crichton represent Damon Pourshian in a copyright claim tied to the film Inside Out.

Licensing, opinions and settlement

Away from trial, Crichton regularly acts and advises on IP licensing, works through mediations and settlement talks, and gives opinions on whether a patent is infringed or valid.

Patent drafting and prosecution

As a registered patent agent for more than ten years, Crichton drafts and prosecutes patents and manages patent portfolios.

Our guide: Litigation and Dispute Resolution in Toronto

Education & credentials

  • LLB, cum laude, University of Ottawa (2003)
  • B.Eng. (Electrical), with High Distinction, Carleton University (2000)
  • Called to the Ontario bar (2004)
  • Registered patent agent

Awards & recognition

  • Patent star, IP Stars, Managing IP
  • Practitioner of the Year (Patent Disputes), shortlisted, Managing IP Americas Awards (2025)
  • Rising Star - Leading Lawyer under 40, Lexpert (2017)
  • Forty under 40, Ottawa Business Journal and Ottawa Chamber of Commerce (2015)

Publications & speaking

  • Global Patent Litigation: How and where to win (Chapter 14: Canada), Bloomberg BNA (2014)
  • Enforcement-related considerations for patent valuation: The perspective from Canada, IAM Weekly (2022)
  • Top 10 differences in patent litigation in Canada and the U.S. (2018)
  • Don't fret over threats of proceedings for IP infringement, Managing IP (2016)

Memberships & affiliations

  • Canadian Bar Association: Crichton sits on the CBA's IP Court Practice Committee.
  • Intellectual Property Institute of Canada: Crichton is a Fellow of the institute.
  • Licensing Executives Society: Crichton has served as chair of the society's Ottawa chapter and moderated a mock license negotiation at the Licensing Executives Society International 2018 annual meeting in San Diego.

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